


all roads lead to this

by violetmessages



Series: These Happy Days [6]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff, Found Family, Ianto Jones Lives, M/M, Post-Series 03: Children of Earth (Torchwood), Series 03 Fix-It: Children of Earth (Torchwood), Weddings, how is not explained
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 03:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30032238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetmessages/pseuds/violetmessages
Summary: In which Martha and Mickey wed, Jack, Gwen, and Anwen dance, and Ianto and Rhys observe.
Relationships: Gwen Cooper/Rhys Williams, Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, Martha Jones/Mickey Smith, Tish Jones/Lois Habiba, can be interpreted as Gwen/Rhys/Jack/Ianto
Series: These Happy Days [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1990219
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	all roads lead to this

**Author's Note:**

> thank you nik for editing <3

Martha’s wedding, as expected, was wonderful. 

She looked stunning in her dress, skin gleaming in the sunlight as her father walked her proudly down the aisle to Mickey, who was wearing the biggest smile Ianto had ever seen on him. They were effortlessly and so completely in love that it almost seemed like a voyeuristic experience to watch them proclaim their love in this way. 

Jack, who had very tearfully and proudly accepted the role as Martha’s Best Man, had thrown them a wink as he walked down with Tish - Martha’s sister - then smiled widely at all four of them from the altar as Anwen squirmed in her seat and finally ended up in Gwen’s lap with her head laying on his chest as she played with his tie. Much like Gwen, Anwen was filled with energy all the time. But she had been quiet for the entire ceremony, so Ianto decided that tomorrow he was going to make her favorite breakfast as a reward. Or rather, he was going to ask Rhys to do it for him. 

After the ceremony, all five of them walked together to the reception. Anwen ran ahead of them in circles, her red dress muddy at the hem from where she had fallen down. 

“Careful,” yelled Rhys as Anwen once again tripped and fell on her knee. She winced and sniffed, a tear falling from her eye. 

“Oh, sweetheart, what’s wrong,” said Jack gently, running up to where she was. Kneeling down, he kissed her forehead gently. “Did you fall?”

“Yeah,” she cried, sniffling. “My knee hurts.”

“Well, I’ve got just the cure for that.” Jack smiled. He helped her stand, then kissed her scraped knee. “There, that should help.”

“Up?” she asked pitifully, raising her arms. Jack beamed, rising to his feet and swinging her off her feet and raising her to his shoulders. She shrieked in joy and wrapped her hands around his neck. 

“Jack,” said Gwen, biting her lip. “She’s three now; she needs to learn how to soothe herself when she falls so that she won’t run like this.”

Jack rolled his eyes and ignored her, choosing instead to shake wildly, making Anwen howl with laughter. Rhys chuckled at the both of them.

“Can you run?” Anwen asked between giggles. “Please, Uncle Jack?”

“Why, of course I can,” he said and shot off, the two of them laughing wildly as they passed the other guests, startling them.

“He’s like a second child,” said Gwen, sighing. 

“Oh, it’s alright, lovely,” Rhys said, smiling fondly at the two distant figures. “She’s only three.”

“The books say that if we make a big deal every time she falls then-”

“Gwen,” Ianto cut her off. “It’ll be fine.”

Gwen sighed, shaking her head, and Rhys wrapped an arm around her waist as she leaned against him. She reached out for Ianto’s hand, and he clasped it and the three of them slowly walked together.

As they entered the hall, they looked around and found Jack and Anwen already seated. Their table was thankfully just them, Tish, and Lois, the latter playing some kind of clapping game with Anwen and the former having what looked like a serious conversation with Jack. 

“Hello,” Gwen said, beaming. She reached over and gave Lois a big hug, then bent over to give Tish a quick kiss on the cheek. “You both look so lovely.”

“Thank you,” said Tish, glowing with happiness. “And you all look so good. Seaside’s treating you well, I see.”

“Can’t complain,” said Ianto. “It’s definitely not like it was a few years ago.”

“Oh, you mean you don’t commit treasonous espionage every day?” Lois winked. Gwen chucked, then slid into the seat besides Anwen. 

“Well, like I said. Job’s still open, once we open, of course,” she said. “We’re giving retirement a try for a bit.”

“And how’s that working out for you?”

“Horribly,” joked Rhys. “The little green men don’t seem to want to stay away.”

“I want to be a little green man,” announced Anwen. “How do I do that?”

“Why do you want to be a little green man?” asked Tish. “Don’t you like being a little Anwen?”

“If you’re a little green man, then how can I dance with you?” asked Jack.

“I want to dance!” Anwen responded indignantly. “Can you dance with me, Uncle Jack?”

“Of course, darling,” said Jack, gallantly, and scooped her up as the two of them ran off to the dance floor together, Anwen hot at his heels. 

“Jack’s still Jack.” Tish smiled. 

“When is he not?” asked Ianto, laughing. “Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between him and Anwen.”

“Anyways,” said Rhys. “Anyone for a drink?”

“Get me one, will you?” asked Gwen. “Usual.”

“Me too,” said Ianto. 

“Here, I’ll come with you.” Tish rose from her seat. “Want one, sweetheat?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.” Lois smiled. Tish leaned down and kissed her briefly, then she and Rhys walked off. 

“So,” said Gwen, an eager light in her eye. “When are you going to marry her?”

Lois ducked her head, clearly embarrassed. “You sound like Francine.”

“Martha’s wedding must be bringing up some emotions,” said Gwen. “You’re the only one left now.”

“Technically Leo isn’t married,” said Lois. 

“Keisha’s what, six? Seven now?” Gwen responded. “He’s been with his girlfriend for longer; I think that counts as marriage by now.”

“Don’t bother her too much,” Ianto said, smiling at them. “They’ll get married when they want.”

“And you still haven’t,” said Gwen, winking at him. 

“We got the civil partnership,” Ianto said indignantly. “I even let you throw that party. All I wanted to do was to go to the register office with you three there.”

“Is she bugging you about getting married again?” asked Rhys, walking towards them, drinks in hand. “Here you go.”

“Thanks,” he said and took his glass. “We can always go to the Register Office on Monday.”

Gwen scrunched up her nose, and all of them laughed. Tish set down their drinks and pulled Lois up. 

“Come on, let’s dance,” she said, and the two of them wrapped around themselves, whispering softly and dancing away. 

“Young love,” Rhys said, winking. “Lois deserves that.”

“Yeah,” said Ianto.

“I’ll never be able to thank her enough for what she did,” said Gwen. “Whatever happens, she deserves good things to happen to her.”

They sat in silence for a moment, looking out onto the dance floor fondly. There was Tish and Lois huddled up against each other. There was Martha and Mickey, both looking resplendent and in their own world. And then there was Jack, who was swinging Anwen around like a little rucksack. 

“Oh, bollocks,” swore Gwen and got up quickly. “He’s going to crack her head open if he keeps on like that.”

She ran over, and then somehow, both Gwen and Jack were doing a fast-paced spinny dance, with Anwen in the middle of them. She looked ecstatic. 

“Do you ever regret it?” Rhys asked, out of nowhere. Ianto blinked in surprise, looking over, and found that Rhys was wearing an extremely contemplative look. 

“Regret what?”

“This,” he said, gesturing a hand. “Leaving that old life, with the speed and the mystery and the aliens. This is - well, it’s so tame compared to that.”

“It is tame comparatively,” he conceded, because Rhys was right. “That doesn’t mean I regret it. I don't think I ever could.”

“I see.”

It was the truth. Now that he'd gotten a taste of it, that kind of domesticity, he wouldn't ever be able to give it up. Waking up to the smell of fresh breakfast that Rhys made every morning, teaching Anwen her letters and numbers with Gwen, late nights with all of them huddled on their tiny sofa in front of the television - leaning on Jack, Gwen's head in his lap and her thighs in Rhys', and him leaning against the other end, his side against Ianto's - not even big enough to fit three people comfortably, yet bore the weight of four, sometimes even five, sleeping curled up to Jack with the sounds of the ocean in his ear, this was what he expected now. It was what he was used to, and he had grown far too attached to it to even fathom letting it go.

“And what about you? ”Ianto asked, curious. “Do you regret it?”

“Regret what?” Rhys echoed, smiling slightly. 

“Marrying into this? Into Torchwood? I mean, the guns and the hiding and the fake passports and being legally dead isn’t something that I would imagine you’d picture life being like,” he asked. “I mean, let's face it; we chose this when we signed up. But you didn’t.”

“Not one bloody minute,” said Rhys, looking into his eyes. “I wouldn’t change any of this for the world because I got to have all of this. I got to have all of you. I wouldn’t have gotten that without all this nonsense.”

“All of us?” Ianto broached, rather courageously. 

“All of you,” he repeated and took Ianto’s hand. 

Ianto and Jack had discussed it once, under the dead of night and with Ianto’s head on Jack’s chest, looking away from him - because as much as Jack influenced him, he was still from the twenty-first century, and they didn’t  _ just  _ talk about things like that, and especially not face to face. 

Perhaps Rhys and Gwen had had their own discussion about it. 

Regardless, he stared straight ahead, with Rhys’ hand an unfamiliar yet comforting weight in his own, and watched as his husband and his best friend spun his niece - his child in all but name truly - around the dance floor, laughing and causing a commotion as they bumped into other guests, who gave them dirty looks, but it didn’t matter since the both of them didn’t care. He watched as Martha and Mickey - themselves an integral part of his life now - swayed to a rhythm that didn’t quite match and were lovelost in their own little world. He looked out and he saw his  _ family.  _

How could he ever regret this?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos/Comments are always appreciated!
> 
> Find me on tumblr [here](https://violetmessages.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I hope you have a lovely day!


End file.
